Ruger vs. Para

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peacebutready said:
They're trying to get you to buy one. I read many times of Para owners e-mailing and not getting a response.

GI Expert owner here. I don't recommend Para.

I am a Para owner, same model. For my next 1911, there are several Paras on my list.
 
I'll never buy or own another Para again.




I am a slow learner, but I will never spend money on a Para again.





I posted something similar on another forum and you would have thought I molested a child from all the hate I received. :rolleyes:
 
I have the Para target elite that I bought a few months ago and couldn't be happier.





Not trying to be argumentative in the least but how could you possibly form a solid opinion from owning for a couple months.
 
Not trying to be argumentative in the least but how could you possibly form a solid opinion from owning for a couple months.

How long do you imagine one needs to own a gun before their opinion is "solid?"

Sometimes people put a high round count through their guns. I know people who will shoot 1,000 rounds through a gun in the first couple of weeks after purchase, and there are people who won't shoot 1,000 rounds through a gun in years. Why do you think there are so many guns that are a decade old and being sold "like new in box." Would you trust the opinion of someone who describes his gun that he's had for 10 years but only fired 100 rounds?

I'd argue that a solid opinion of a gun would be made after a certain round count, rather than a certain time period.
 
How long do you imagine one needs to own a gun before their opinion is "solid?"



Well, they have to have as hell of a lot more rounds through it than 140. ;)
 
Came across this thread while scoping out the Para Expert, which is on sale at Palmetto for $379.00 after rebate. That's mighty hard to pass up, but this thread has me wondering.
 
Came across this thread while scoping out the Para Expert, which is on sale at Palmetto for $379.00 after rebate. That's mighty hard to pass up, but this thread has me wondering.

Skip Para, their Quality is hit or miss, mostly miss.

If you only have that amount of money to spend get your self an RIA and call it good.
 
Skip Para, their Quality is hit or miss, mostly miss.

If you only have that amount of money to spend get your self an RIA and call it good.
I would have to disagree on the quality of a RIA 1911 over a Para single stack 1911. I have owned both. I have a Para stainless expert and I use to have a couple of RIA guns. The fit and finish on the Para is much better. The finish on the RIA was weak and the internal parts looked rough. I will say both brands ran fine though.
 
I would have to disagree on the quality of a RIA 1911 over a Para single stack 1911. I have owned both. I have a Para stainless expert and I use to have a couple of RIA guns. The fit and finish on the Para is much better. The finish on the RIA was weak and the internal parts looked rough. I will say both brands ran fine though.


I'm talking reliability not fit and finish,
 
I'm talking reliability on single stack para pistols. That's what the OP was asking about. Now when it comes to double stacks I have read about issues with them.
 
Ruger guns work. Whatever you may think about design, Bill Rugers politics (but he's dead now anyway) or some of their older and chunkier models (which still worked well), the fact remains that they work and work pretty well.

Ruger may sell a gun that doesn't live up to advertising hype, but the gun will function and be reasonably accurate.

Para, however, is not the Para of old. Back then, they were innovators and prided themselves on doing good work. Now they crank out overpriced pistols, people swear by them because of a twenty year old reputation and CS is at or near the bottom of the industry.

Don't make the same mistake I did. Buy the Ruger.
 
I "helped" my wife shop for my Christmas present this year (my first 1911). With a kid in college and another about to start her college career, price was definitely a concern and we wanted to keep it under $800. This meant looking at RIA, Ruger, and Para. I heard good things about the reliability of the RIA, the legendary Ruger service and the fit and finish of their SR1911, and good things about the new Para's after they moved to North Carolina.

After handling all three, it came down to the Para and the Ruger (I really wanted a brushed stainless pistol - no surprise since if you open my safe, all my handguns have a stainless finish. Even my XD's are bi-tone). The local shops didn't have stainless RIA's to look at. I was looking at the Para Expert but didn't like the sights (the Ruger had Novak sights, while the Para had a fiber optic front sight. My local shop let me field strip them and the Para had tool marks, dings, etc. The deal breaker for the Para was the presence of the "series 80" firing pin safety. The Ruger doesn't have it, and I didn't want it. The Ruger trigger was much better when dry firing than the Para, and it could have been related to the firing pin safety.

All in all, the Ruger seemed to be a better pistol. The new Para Expert seems to be getting good reviews, but Ruger gets a ton of cyber love. We went with the Ruger CMD because I want to use it as a carry gun.

Cheers.
 
Para, however, is not the Para of old. Back then, they were innovators and prided themselves on doing good work. Now they crank out overpriced pistols, people swear by them because of a twenty year old reputation and CS is at or near the bottom of the industry.



I thought they were made better today than they ever were. :confused: In the old days they were well known for using mostly marginally done cast parts.
 
Wrong. Their marketing department is at its peak right now and marketers tell you the product is wonderful.

Para began as innovators. They were the cutting edge of refining performance in the 1911, doing a lot of stuff that we expect as "standard" now but was aftermarket only back then. They pioneered the market for a double stack, double action pistol strongly resembling the 1911. Manufacturers now offer stuff that Para was offering 20 years ago.

Somewhere along the way, though, the wheels fell off.

Some of the conversion kits offered back then were of spotty quality, but they stood behind even those. If you got a lemon, they'd make it right. Now, they sell pistols and wash their hands of it. A few years ago I bought a Para based on previous reputation. I found out after the fact that they'd deteriorated badly.
 
Ruger guns work. Whatever you may think about design, Bill Rugers politics (but he's dead now anyway) or some of their older and chunkier models (which still worked well), the fact remains that they work and work pretty well.

Ruger may sell a gun that doesn't live up to advertising hype, but the gun will function and be reasonably accurate.

Para, however, is not the Para of old. Back then, they were innovators and prided themselves on doing good work. Now they crank out overpriced pistols, people swear by them because of a twenty year old reputation and CS is at or near the bottom of the industry.

Don't make the same mistake I did. Buy the Ruger.

20 yrs ago their guns were up there even better than the Colt 1991A1. I could not afford the $700 price tag then. I was wondering what happen to them as their price today is as much as half of the price then. Glad the OP started this thread.
 
Help me to understand something, please. I am under the impression that 1911s are analogous to ARs in the sense that the mechanics of the gun is identical regardless of manufacturer, in fact, many or most of the parts are interchangeable. So my question is this: what makes the Para so bad that it can't be fixed with only a part or two? Where, precisely, is the problem?
 
SleazyRider said:
Help me to understand something, please. I am under the impression that 1911s are analogous to ARs in the sense that the mechanics of the gun is identical regardless of manufacturer, in fact, many or most of the parts are interchangeable. So my question is this: what makes the Para so bad that it can't be fixed with only a part or two? Where, precisely, is the problem?

Not all 1911s are the same. Not all ARs are the same. Some manufacteurs put little spins on the design to give an edge over a different company. For example the new line of Paras uses EGW extractors over the "standard" GI ones. Or extended ambidextrous safeties, also not a standard or GI part. Generally you can swap parts from a 1911 to fix a broken or unwanted feature with a little research. I have never had any problems with Para though.
 
Para began as innovators. They were the cutting edge of refining performance in the 1911, doing a lot of stuff that we expect as "standard" now but was aftermarket only back then. They pioneered the market for a double stack, double action pistol strongly resembling the 1911. Manufacturers now offer stuff that Para was offering 20 years ago.

Somewhere along the way, though, the wheels fell off.


Good points.

There were two founders of the company. In the mid 2000s, one of them passed away. I read the other then fired many employees of the company at the time. I think he also bought out his partner's family's share of the company.
 
FYI - approaching 2,500 rounds as of this weekend... still happy with my Para.
 
I have a P14 limited and a Tac Four. I've shot both a fair bit and had zero problems. Your mileage may vary but take what you see online with a grain of salt - there is a fair amount of second hand repeats with no real experience.

Of course nothing wrong with the Ruger other than that billboard size lettering they feel the need to put on their 1911s.
 
Quote:
Help me to understand something, please. I am under the impression that 1911s are analogous to ARs in the sense that the mechanics of the gun is identical regardless of manufacturer, in fact, many or most of the parts are interchangeable. So my question is this: what makes the Para so bad that it can't be fixed with only a part or two? Where, precisely, is the problem?

The 1911 / AR15 analogy is actually a good one because they have the same issues between quality firearms and shoddy ones. A quality AR or 1911 is assembled of parts made of the correct materials manufactured to the correct dimensions by someone who knows how to properly assemble and fit them. A low quality firearm is assembled of sub-par parts with questionable dimensions by someone who has no problem slapping it together at whatever price he can get for it.

The AR is easier to do right, since very little is required other than correct dimension of each part and proper torque specs where applicable. The 1911, on the other hand, requires fitting of many parts to prevent tolerance stacking.
 
I have the Ruger SR1911 and have bee very happy with it. A good reliable gun with decent accuracy at a reasonable price.
 
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